I am struck with the photos i have seen of of the sandbag placement to help mitigate the flooding.
A sandbag dike must be built properly to prevent or reduce flood damage.
Managing Volunteers
Since a dike will fail if not built correctly, training people on proper procedures for placing sandbags is very important. In the rush, volunteers will do something, but the result frequently is a dike that performs poorly or fails. Put a high priority on planning and organization.
So has the army trained the soldiers in proper sandbag dyke construction? What about the BMA? How many politicians have read a leaflet similar to the one from the US Army Corps of Engineers? Has the Commander in Chief?
I saw photos on flicker of the sandbag embankment at Nortaburi. There were no plastic sheets in evidence. No pyramid shape. It appeared that the bags were stacked in two rows.
Why are industrial parks of such national importance located in the flood plain? Why are there no permanent dykes around them?
Why has Bangkok not started implementing a dyke program similar to the Netherlands? Perhaps this will provide the country with the impetus to begin. However, if corruption cannot be brought under control nothing will come of this as it will end up looking like Pattaya
Beach Road Construction.
Perhaps this will also start planning in Decentralization of the
Bangkok Centric government. Why keep the Central
Goverment in Bangkok? Why not have regional centers for the various Departments? And have only limited administration in Bangkok.
Perhaps time to consider a move to another location. Like Brazil did.
Contrary to prevailing sentiment I like being proved wrong so I thank you for that. However the Burmese government does lock up a lot innocent people so letting them go has, I imagine, less of a contrition factor than in other parts of the world.
Erratum: Lopen Gembo Dorji should read Lopen Gembo Dorghi
Lopen Gembo Dorghi speaks English in the videos in German:
Usually sand mandalas in Bhutan are ┬╜ m to 2 ┬╜ m. The 5 m x 5 m sand mandala at the Ruhrtriennale 2011 posed a challenge as it was the biggest sand mandala the Bhutanese Buddhist monks have attempted so far.
Among the premières for the Bhutanese Buddhist monks visiting Bochum, Ruhr region, was the underground railway, the sea in the neighbouring Netherlands, and going to the stadium to watch football.
This frequent enough for you Charles Edward Frith (@charlesfrith)?
The first round of amnesty since the new govt was formed was as recent as May 17, 2011 when 14,600 prisoners were released including just 34 political prisoners. July 2005 stands out as exceptional when the regime tried for the Chair of ASEAN the first time round since out of around 400 released 341 were political prisoners.
I think the Nittarat group is not going nearly far enough. Expunging the results of the 2006 coup alone would overwhelmingly benefit Thaksin without doubt and whatever warning against coups may be intended, if indeed that is the real intention, will be overshadowed by the Thaksin effect so as to be useless. In fact, it might simply encourage future coup makers to be more ruthless and round up execute people like Thaksin, and their family members and cronies, as foreign coup makers do, rather than let them slip away into exile again, if they can no longer be trusted to “play by the rules” and accept a coup sportingly as the Thai way.
There is still a great deal of legislation around that is the result of idiotic revolutionary decrees prior to the 2006 coup and even the so called “peoples’ constitution” of 1997 with its detailed checks and balances that were knocked for a six by Thaksin is the direct result of the 1991 coup. It would be far better to flush out the whole lot without fear or favour. That would take us back to the status prior to the 1932 coup and provide an opportunity to reintroduce democracy through the drafting of a completely new constitution, uninfluenced by military events. All surviving coup makers could be prosecuted to the fullest extent of pre-1932 laws for treason and their assets could be confiscated along with the assets of descendants of deceased coup makers to be paid into a social welfare fund. A few public beheadings with the sword combined with the confiscation of the estates of many prominent families would clearly put the fear of god into any would be coup makers. We would also be freed from the revolutionary decrees that prohibit sales of alcohol at certain times unless over 10 litres, the law that prohibits women from going out after dark without a male chaperone, the requirement to wear hats and proper shoes when visiting government offices or attending horse races at RBSC and the Turf Club, as well as 90 day reporting for foreigners and other foolishness.
I am still skeptical that the suggestion to use the boat propellers came directly from the King. All the sources quoted in support of this theory simply quote the monarch as advising that drainage of water from the East of Bangkok to the sea should be expedited which is fair enough. An example is given of a canal and sluice gate that he urged 10 years ago and it seems more likely that his advice was to do with improving the capacity of existing water channels rather wasting effort in a futile attempt to increase the velocity of the flow without increasing the volume. However, NM readers tend to dislike him, he has spent a lot time studying water management and is vastly more knowledgeable about it than the average farang Thai studies academic.
What is missing is a disclosure by Amsterdam of how much is fee was for this heart string tugging presentation and details of his work permit, licence to practice law in Thailand and payment of Thai tax on his fees earned here.
I am really looking forward to selling my wife’s hobbyist rice harvest to the government at an inflated price. I hope we don’t get gypped too badly on the moisture content this time or get pushed out of the way again to make space for the local PT politician’s ample supplies of rice from Laos. If all goes well and the pledge price holds up next year, we may hire our tenants as day labourers instead of renting the land to them again in exchange for a percentage of production. A great policy that puts cash into the hands of the right people. We are also looking forward to getting a new car under the Bt 30 bn first time buyer scheme once auto production resumes after the floods. Hooray for Yingluck.
In light of so much emphasis on 1962 regime’s purported attempt to break free from colonial past and resurrecting traditional order, I think it is worthy to mention this piece from Victor Lieberman here.
In his article “ Reinterpreting Burmese History ” in Comparative Studies in Society and History, Vol. 29, No. 1 January 1987, pp.162-194, Lieberman wrote:
“Such basic contemporary institutions as centralized purchasing and processing of agricultural surpluses, government provision of consumer goods, and national health, credit, and education services would have been quite implausible prior to the colonial economic revolution. Whereas the premodern view of history was cyclic and its image of social organization essentially static, the current government shares with the British an historically rationalized commitment to linear progress, economic development, and social engineering.” (p. 189)
What about in these days? While there are talks about moving capital city to dry zone and rising giant statutes of warrior kings, one must also acknowledge that there are serious attempts by successive regimes to engage in the western commerce and market economy, and increased interest to participate in international and regional organizations. In fact, unlike some of her Southeast Asian neighbors, present day Burma’s political system being not in any form of monarchy is the best pronounced testament that the country has moved on. Occasional practices of resurrectionist rituals are in purpose more of political maneuvers to reinforce ruler’s legitimacy albeit these are seen (and presented) as essential ingredients for cultural continuity .
Honestly, the often encountered notion of legal “research” consisting of sifting through legal statues and making logical deductions, perhaps deciding that yet another constitution or soon-to-be unenforced (or even worse selectively enforced on only the poor and powerless) needs to be written, without devoting a single iota of attention to the impact that laws have on the lives of flesh and blood people, how and even whether they can be enforced, that makes the whole enterprise flawed. This farcical notion of “legal research”, this itself should be the real focus of research.
Yes, Malaysia needs help in managing its environment, but not from “developed” countries greenies. The developed countries have not been exemplary in environmental issues. The per capital carbon footprint of Malaysia is way lower than that of any “developed” country. The ration of “undisturbed” natural habitat to “cleared” land is far higher than that of “developed countries.
I suggest that the “greenies” get those ratios sorted out before picking on “developing” countries. Everyone on this Earth has a right to “the good life” not just people born in “developed” countries.
The monarchies of other countries should do well to learn from the Jigme monarchy by observing moderation and frugality in conducting an affair of state. Some monarchies that we know pay lip service to sufficiency economy but hold no restraint on extravagance in connection with any royal activities.
The issue is spread across Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Borneo and Indonesia with Malaysian companies specifically responsible for strip clearing PNG jungle stolen from tribes people. We need to see a collective effort across the region. I only mention this as the next article in my feed is this http://j.mp/pm6M9k
Those of you following this discussion will want to know that the Kachin News Group is reporting over 50 Burmese troops killed on Sunday while the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) claims that only two of its soldiers were injured. A KIA spokesman quoted byThe Irrawaddy says:
The government soldiers simply charged up the hill, leaving our soldiers with no option but to shoot them down
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Nitirat: monarchy, constitution and democracy
Oops, there goes a conversation. How can one respond when there is only wankery?
Floods, hacks and the Nitirat effect
I am struck with the photos i have seen of of the sandbag placement to help mitigate the flooding.
A sandbag dike must be built properly to prevent or reduce flood damage.
Managing Volunteers
Since a dike will fail if not built correctly, training people on proper procedures for placing sandbags is very important. In the rush, volunteers will do something, but the result frequently is a dike that performs poorly or fails. Put a high priority on planning and organization.
From:
http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/ageng/safety/ae626w.htm
So has the army trained the soldiers in proper sandbag dyke construction? What about the BMA? How many politicians have read a leaflet similar to the one from the US Army Corps of Engineers? Has the Commander in Chief?
http://www.nan.usace.army.mil/services/content/emergops/…/sandbags.pdf
I saw photos on flicker of the sandbag embankment at Nortaburi. There were no plastic sheets in evidence. No pyramid shape. It appeared that the bags were stacked in two rows.
Why are industrial parks of such national importance located in the flood plain? Why are there no permanent dykes around them?
Why has Bangkok not started implementing a dyke program similar to the Netherlands? Perhaps this will provide the country with the impetus to begin. However, if corruption cannot be brought under control nothing will come of this as it will end up looking like Pattaya
Beach Road Construction.
Perhaps this will also start planning in Decentralization of the
Bangkok Centric government. Why keep the Central
Goverment in Bangkok? Why not have regional centers for the various Departments? And have only limited administration in Bangkok.
Perhaps time to consider a move to another location. Like Brazil did.
Burma amnesties
I stand corrected.
Contrary to prevailing sentiment I like being proved wrong so I thank you for that. However the Burmese government does lock up a lot innocent people so letting them go has, I imagine, less of a contrition factor than in other parts of the world.
The emphemeral mandala
Christian C. kindly mailed the following two links:
http://www.wdr.de/mediathek/html/regional/2011/09/29/lokalzeit-ruhr-kultur-moenche.xml
WDR, Lokalzeit Ruhr, Video: Verg├дnglich ist Kunst und Leben [Art and Life are Transient] by Roland Winter
http://www.wdr.de/mediathek/html/regional/2011/10/10/lokalzeit-ruhr-aussem-leben.xml
WDR, Lokalzeit Ruhr, Video: Raum schaffen f├╝r das Neue [Make Room fort he New] by Roland Winter
Erratum: Lopen Gembo Dorji should read Lopen Gembo Dorghi
Lopen Gembo Dorghi speaks English in the videos in German:
Usually sand mandalas in Bhutan are ┬╜ m to 2 ┬╜ m. The 5 m x 5 m sand mandala at the Ruhrtriennale 2011 posed a challenge as it was the biggest sand mandala the Bhutanese Buddhist monks have attempted so far.
Among the premières for the Bhutanese Buddhist monks visiting Bochum, Ruhr region, was the underground railway, the sea in the neighbouring Netherlands, and going to the stadium to watch football.
Nation, Religion, King – Episode 3
[…] Nation, Religion, King – Episode 3 […]
Burma amnesties
This frequent enough for you Charles Edward Frith (@charlesfrith)?
The first round of amnesty since the new govt was formed was as recent as May 17, 2011 when 14,600 prisoners were released including just 34 political prisoners. July 2005 stands out as exceptional when the regime tried for the Chair of ASEAN the first time round since out of around 400 released 341 were political prisoners.
Starting point: Thailand in 1932
I think the Nittarat group is not going nearly far enough. Expunging the results of the 2006 coup alone would overwhelmingly benefit Thaksin without doubt and whatever warning against coups may be intended, if indeed that is the real intention, will be overshadowed by the Thaksin effect so as to be useless. In fact, it might simply encourage future coup makers to be more ruthless and round up execute people like Thaksin, and their family members and cronies, as foreign coup makers do, rather than let them slip away into exile again, if they can no longer be trusted to “play by the rules” and accept a coup sportingly as the Thai way.
There is still a great deal of legislation around that is the result of idiotic revolutionary decrees prior to the 2006 coup and even the so called “peoples’ constitution” of 1997 with its detailed checks and balances that were knocked for a six by Thaksin is the direct result of the 1991 coup. It would be far better to flush out the whole lot without fear or favour. That would take us back to the status prior to the 1932 coup and provide an opportunity to reintroduce democracy through the drafting of a completely new constitution, uninfluenced by military events. All surviving coup makers could be prosecuted to the fullest extent of pre-1932 laws for treason and their assets could be confiscated along with the assets of descendants of deceased coup makers to be paid into a social welfare fund. A few public beheadings with the sword combined with the confiscation of the estates of many prominent families would clearly put the fear of god into any would be coup makers. We would also be freed from the revolutionary decrees that prohibit sales of alcohol at certain times unless over 10 litres, the law that prohibits women from going out after dark without a male chaperone, the requirement to wear hats and proper shoes when visiting government offices or attending horse races at RBSC and the Turf Club, as well as 90 day reporting for foreigners and other foolishness.
Floods, hacks and the Nitirat effect
I am still skeptical that the suggestion to use the boat propellers came directly from the King. All the sources quoted in support of this theory simply quote the monarch as advising that drainage of water from the East of Bangkok to the sea should be expedited which is fair enough. An example is given of a canal and sluice gate that he urged 10 years ago and it seems more likely that his advice was to do with improving the capacity of existing water channels rather wasting effort in a futile attempt to increase the velocity of the flow without increasing the volume. However, NM readers tend to dislike him, he has spent a lot time studying water management and is vastly more knowledgeable about it than the average farang Thai studies academic.
Amsterdam in Bangkok
What is missing is a disclosure by Amsterdam of how much is fee was for this heart string tugging presentation and details of his work permit, licence to practice law in Thailand and payment of Thai tax on his fees earned here.
Glittering amidst the crisis
The opening of Terminal 21 has already been adequately discussed on Thai Visa. I am surprised at NM for bothering with this non-news.
Rice mortgage scheme underway
I am really looking forward to selling my wife’s hobbyist rice harvest to the government at an inflated price. I hope we don’t get gypped too badly on the moisture content this time or get pushed out of the way again to make space for the local PT politician’s ample supplies of rice from Laos. If all goes well and the pledge price holds up next year, we may hire our tenants as day labourers instead of renting the land to them again in exchange for a percentage of production. A great policy that puts cash into the hands of the right people. We are also looking forward to getting a new car under the Bt 30 bn first time buyer scheme once auto production resumes after the floods. Hooray for Yingluck.
Starting point: Burma in 1962
In light of so much emphasis on 1962 regime’s purported attempt to break free from colonial past and resurrecting traditional order, I think it is worthy to mention this piece from Victor Lieberman here.
In his article “ Reinterpreting Burmese History ” in Comparative Studies in Society and History, Vol. 29, No. 1 January 1987, pp.162-194, Lieberman wrote:
“Such basic contemporary institutions as centralized purchasing and processing of agricultural surpluses, government provision of consumer goods, and national health, credit, and education services would have been quite implausible prior to the colonial economic revolution. Whereas the premodern view of history was cyclic and its image of social organization essentially static, the current government shares with the British an historically rationalized commitment to linear progress, economic development, and social engineering.” (p. 189)
What about in these days? While there are talks about moving capital city to dry zone and rising giant statutes of warrior kings, one must also acknowledge that there are serious attempts by successive regimes to engage in the western commerce and market economy, and increased interest to participate in international and regional organizations. In fact, unlike some of her Southeast Asian neighbors, present day Burma’s political system being not in any form of monarchy is the best pronounced testament that the country has moved on. Occasional practices of resurrectionist rituals are in purpose more of political maneuvers to reinforce ruler’s legitimacy albeit these are seen (and presented) as essential ingredients for cultural continuity .
Nitirat: monarchy, constitution and democracy
What a massive load of legal wankery. Hey, let’s do some more thought experiments. First, let’s rewind to before the war on drugs and southern insurgency, so we can bring all the people back to life who have been shot, blown up or beheaded. Second, even more important, let’s rewind to just before the point when General Panlop (р╕Юр╕▒р╕ер╕ер╕а р╕Ыр╕┤р╣Ир╕Щр╕бр╕Ур╕╡) did not follow Chavalit’s orders and massacred all the Muslims at Krue Se Mosque. Then we can throw the gears of our time machine in reverse and run him over so he doesn’t become ISOC chief in the Yingluck government.
Honestly, the often encountered notion of legal “research” consisting of sifting through legal statues and making logical deductions, perhaps deciding that yet another constitution or soon-to-be unenforced (or even worse selectively enforced on only the poor and powerless) needs to be written, without devoting a single iota of attention to the impact that laws have on the lives of flesh and blood people, how and even whether they can be enforced, that makes the whole enterprise flawed. This farcical notion of “legal research”, this itself should be the real focus of research.
Malaysia’s environment needs help
That’s odd. A neptunian speaking from Uranus.
Two wrongs don’t make a right. You need to elevate your dialectic above slinging diapers around.
Malaysia’s environment needs help
Yes, Malaysia needs help in managing its environment, but not from “developed” countries greenies. The developed countries have not been exemplary in environmental issues. The per capital carbon footprint of Malaysia is way lower than that of any “developed” country. The ration of “undisturbed” natural habitat to “cleared” land is far higher than that of “developed countries.
I suggest that the “greenies” get those ratios sorted out before picking on “developing” countries. Everyone on this Earth has a right to “the good life” not just people born in “developed” countries.
Burma amnesties
1980 was 31 years ago. Microsoft Word didn’t exist. Let’s not paint this as a frequent event.
The emphemeral mandala
The monarchies of other countries should do well to learn from the Jigme monarchy by observing moderation and frugality in conducting an affair of state. Some monarchies that we know pay lip service to sufficiency economy but hold no restraint on extravagance in connection with any royal activities.
Nitirat: monarchy, constitution and democracy
Isn’t it the basic nature of Thais to be vicious and quarrelsome?
If so, we can expect endless troubles ahead.
Malaysia’s environment needs help
The issue is spread across Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Borneo and Indonesia with Malaysian companies specifically responsible for strip clearing PNG jungle stolen from tribes people. We need to see a collective effort across the region. I only mention this as the next article in my feed is this http://j.mp/pm6M9k
One observation, ten questions and much to ponder about the new Kachin war
Thanks for all of these comments:
Those of you following this discussion will want to know that the Kachin News Group is reporting over 50 Burmese troops killed on Sunday while the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) claims that only two of its soldiers were injured. A KIA spokesman quoted by The Irrawaddy says:
As Hkanhpa noted in an earlier comment:
Nich